1. Technical Field to which the Invention Belongs
The present invention relates to a withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent for a plant such as a gramineous plant, more particularly to a withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent for a plant such as a gramineous plant which agent comprises proline which is effective for, e.g., a lawn grass going to wither and die by a stress caused by temperature or pruning or leaf rot disease.
2. Prior Art
Hitherto, some examples have been known where an amino acid-related compound, e.g., proline is applied to a plant.
For example, (a) Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) No. 67051/1973 discloses a fruiting and fruit-enlarging promoting agent containing at least one nucleoside or nucleotide and proline.
In respect to this fruiting and fruit-enlarging promoting agent, however, the target plants are entirely different from those plants to be applied with the withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent for a gramineous plant such as a lawn grass according to the present invention, and the promoting agent necessitates concurrent use of a nucleoside or a nucleotide in combination with proline. In addition, the application method comprises performing foliar application (e.g., spraying or spreading the promoting agent onto the leaves) at intervals of one week by injecting dropwise the fruiting and fruit-enlarging promoting agent (concentration of 40 ppm) through a syringe for two months, and therefore, is obviously different from that of the present invention.
(b) Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) No. 279405/1998 discloses a method for controlling pine tree-withering wherein a plant activating substance containing proline as the main ingredient and an alkaline ion water are sprayed to the above-ground parts of a pine tree and/or such a plant activating substance and an acidic ion water are fed to the subterranean parts of a pine tree.
However, this method for controlling pine tree withering is entirely different in target plants from the method for withering-prevention and quick-acting nutrition supplementation for a gramineous plant such as a lawn grass according to the present invention. In addition, according to the prior art method, a solution having a proline concentration of 30 to 300 ppm is applied and therefore, the application method is obviously different from that of the withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent for a gramineous plant such as a lawn grass according to the present invention.
For example, lawns are utilized in many places such as parks, gardens and ball game fields, and are indispensable for golf courses or golf links. However, a large quantity of fertilizer and agricultural chemical is hitherto used for maintenance of lawn grass and the use has become a big problem in view of environmental aspect. For example, synthetic fungicides (agricultural chemicals) have hitherto been applied for controlling leaf rot disease of lawn grass, but there is a possibility that the application exerts undesirable influences on the natural environment.
Furthermore, a lawn grass, especially cold-district type grass, suffers indirectly growth stop and directly withering due to a stress caused by high temperatures, but there is only a measure of good air-ventilation against the problems.
As for gramineous plants such as a lawn grass, it is known to fertilize amino acids as the nitrogen source, but the amino acids are generally used in the form of a multi-component fertilizer such as a hydrolysate of plants or animals or a fermentation waste liquid, their components being indistinct. It is required to reduce fertilization in view of the problems of accumulation of minerals in the soil and so on, so that there is a demand for a quick-acting fertilizer (quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent) which can supply effectively a necessary amount of nitrogen. For this purpose, urea preparations for foliar application are frequently used, but the urea tends to accumulate in the soil and may cause phenomena such as leaf scorch and the like in some cases depending on the concentration. Accordingly, it has been required to develop a withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent which can substitute for it.
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
It is an object of the present invention to provide a withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent which is not a chemical fertilizer and does not adversely affect environment and humans and animals, as well as a method for applying the same. Other objects will become apparent during the following description.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of extensive studies for achieving the aforementioned objects, the present inventors have first found that amino acids, especially proline, serine and the like exhibit a remarkable effect on prevention of withering of a gramineous plant, and that the effect is especially enhanced by combination with inosine among various nucleosides, and accomplished the present invention based on these findings.
Namely, the present invention relates to a withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent for a plant such as a gramineous plant which agent comprises proline as the effective ingredient, and a method for withering prevention and quick-acting nutrient supplementation of a plant such as a gramineous plant which method comprises applying said withering-preventing and quick-acting nutrition supplementing agent to the soil or hydroponic water, or performing foliar application of said agent.